Jobs

Special Investigator Advisor

New York City BOARD OF CORRECTION - New York, NY

Reporting to the Executive Director, the Special Investigations Advisor will lead the agency?s investigations of all deaths of people in custody in the City Jails, conducting thorough reviews of evidence, carrying out necessary interviews and writing reports on their findings. The BOC has recently revised its death review methodology and the Special Investigations Advisor will be crucial to its successful implementation. The Special Investigations Advisor will be responsible for all the BOC activities related to death investigations. These activities will include: ? Conducting onsite facility visits following a death, identifying key evidence and speaking to senior managers, staff and people in custody. Special Investigations Advisor will supervise an alternative BOC staff person?s facility visit when circumstances don?t allow the Advisor report in person;? Reviewing and analyzing evidence and carrying out interviews with staff and people in custody to determine the circumstances leading to the person in custody?s death;? Identifying any areas where changes may be needed to policy or practice in order to prevent future deaths;? Writing well-evidenced, high quality investigation reports which include clearly articulated findings and recommendations; ? Presenting investigation findings, answering questions and making recommendations at BOC meetings; ? Working directly with staff at DOC and H+H to communicate initial investigation findings and ?fact check? evidence;? Training and mentoring BOC staff to carry our specific functions relating to the BOC death review methodology and partnering with other DOC staff on this work; ? Reviewing data and findings with jail management, DOC officials, Board members, and partners to inform thematic reports on jail deaths ? Writing and publishing memoranda and reports on death review findings;? Working with colleagues in the Monitoring and Research teams to identify opportunities to publish relevant emerging research.

Minimum Qual Requirements

1. For Assignment Level I (only physical, biological and environmental sciences and public health) A master's degree from an accredited college or university with a specialization in an appropriate field of physical, biological or environmental science or in public health. To be appointed to Assignment Level II and above, candidates must have: 1. A doctorate degree from an accredited college or university with specialization in an appropriate field of physical, biological, environmental or social science and one year of full-time experience in a responsible supervisory, administrative or research capacity in the appropriate field of specialization; or 2. A master's degree from an accredited college or university with specialization in an appropriate field of physical, biological, environmental or social science and three years of responsible full-time research experience in the appropriate field of specialization; or 3. Education and/or experience which is equivalent to "1" or "2" above. However, all candidates must have at least a master's degree in an appropriate field of specialization and at least two years of experience described in "2" above. Two years as a City Research Scientist Level I can be substituted for the experience required in "1" and "2" above. NOTE: Probationary Period Appointments to this position are subject to a minimum probationary period of one year.

Preferred Skills

? A minimum of seven years of full-time experience in corrections, correctional health care, monitoring, compliance, public administration, or a related field ? Expertise in auditing, investigations, compliance, and/or quality assurance, preferably in a corrections environment ? Familiarity with correctional policy and research, preferably with specific knowledge in relation to correctional health and safety? Familiarity with New York City jails? Exceptional problem-solving skills and ability to make tough decisions? Highly skilled at relationship building, collaborating with government and non-profit partners, and articulating agency positions to external constituencies such as correctional and health professionals ? A high degree of personal resilience and the ability to deal with grief and bereavement ? Tenacious fact finder with excellent organizational and writing skills? Ability to thrive in a fast-paced and changing environment? Commitment to the mission of the NYC Board

Additional Information

The New York City Board of Correction (BOC) is a nine-person, non-judicial oversight board, which regulates, monitors, and inspects the correctional facilities of the City. Established in 1957, BOC is one of the earliest independent oversight boards of custodial and detention settings in the United States. The Mayor, City Council and presiding justices of the Appellate Division of the Supreme Court for the First and Second Judicial Departments (in joint nomination with the Mayor) appoint its members. The City Charter mandates the Board?s five functions: ? Establish and ensure compliance with minimum standards for the care, custody, correction, treatment, supervision, and discipline of all persons held or confined under the jurisdiction of the Department of Correction;? Investigate serious incidents;? Review grievances from people in custody and staff;? Evaluate the performance of the Department of Correction; and,? Make recommendations on areas of key correctional planning.The Board established the Minimum Standards on jail conditions in 1979, on mental health care in 1985, and on health care in 1991. In 2007, BOC finished a comprehensive review of the Minimum Standards and adopted a series of amendments. In 2015-2016, the Board promulgated rules codifying ground-breaking criminal justice reforms. This included the City?s ending of punitive segregation for 16-21 year olds and individuals with serious physical/mental health disabilities. The Board also recently enacted a new chapter of its Minimum Standards that are based on national standards underlying the federal Prison Rape Elimination Act (PREA). These new rules require action which is specifically tailored to detecting, preventing and responding to sexual abuse and sexual harassment in the City?s jails. Going forward, BOC will conduct rulemaking on restrictive housing and update its Mental Health Minimum Standards.Over the past two years, in an effort to expand its research, monitoring and rule-making efforts, the Board has nearly doubled its annual budget (currently $3 million) and its staff (currently 28, with planned expansion to 37). With offices in lower Manhattan and Rikers Island, BOC works regularly with the Department of Correction and Health + Hospitals, and often with other government and external partners, on a wide variety of criminal justice issues germane to its oversight responsibilities. The Board brings to this work a strong emphasis on data-sharing, data-driven decision making and public reporting. In keeping with major reforms occurring at the national, state and local level, the Board recently re-envisioned its mission: to carry out independent oversight and enact regulation in support of safer, fairer, smaller and more humane jails.

To Apply

For City employees: Go to Employee Self-Service (ESS)-www.nyc.gov/ess and search for Job ID# 358886For all other applicants: Go to www.nyc.gov/careers and search for Job ID# 358886

Hours/Shift

Part-Time, 14-30 hrs/wk

Work Location

Rikers Island and downtown Manhattan office

Residency Requirement

New York City residency is generally required within 90 days of appointment. However, City Employees in certain titles who have worked for the City for 2 continuous years may also be eligible to reside in Nassau, Suffolk, Putnam, Westchester, Rockland, or Orange County. To determine if the residency requirement applies to you, please discuss with the agency representative at the time of interview.